Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20857
and Department of Justice of the United States
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Mr. Commissioner and Mr. Secretary,
My name is Timothy Leary and I strongly urge you to redact your illegalization of, or at the very least lighten your restrictions on, the psychedelic drug lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD. This drug is not the addictive narcotic you make it out to be. It is not only beneficial but almost essential in the study and treatment of certain psychological diseases such as schizophrenia and depression. As a doctor of psychology, I am extremely learned in the chemistry of the brain and the affects certain substances, such as LSD and other hallucinogens (like psilocybin in mushrooms and mescaline in peyote), have on it. As a lecturer on psychology at Harvard, I became very interested on these affects, then virtually unknown. I travelled to Mexico, where I experienced my first “trip.” That is, I had my mind opened and my life changed. Upon my return to Harvard, I established the Harvard Psychedelic Project to study the effects of these curious substances in a more scientific way. In the project, I administered psilocybin to prison inmates as an experimental method of rehabilitation to see its affect on recidivism rates. I saw the rate of return to prison drop from 80% to 20% due to the education and revelation the subjects reported to have experienced while on the drug. These numbers would be even better if we could continue this psychedelic therapy post-release. With more in depth study of this and other psychedelics could lead to more benefits for the American people, such as better treatments or even possibly cures for alcoholism, drug addiction, depression and schizophrenia, as well as for national
security in the form of interrogational aids, such as mind control and truth serum.
Not only are psychedelics beneficial to society by curing illnesses and treating psychosis, they also affect the brain in such a way that changes one’s perception of reality. LSD alters the consciousness of the user, opening his or her mind so dramatically that the user is often changed for life. Of the 300 subjects to whom I administered LSD in my various studies, 75% said that was a revelatory experience, teaching them more about themselves and their universe than any other experience in their lives. It makes connections in the brain that didn’t exist previously, connecting one to the world around them and everyone in it. It opens the user up to experiences all the universe has to offer, all of the light and love and peace. If more people were to experience this total openness, this pure understanding of love, the world would be a better place, with fewer wars, less fighting, less misunderstanding. If the officials of the government were to open their mind and allow LSD to open it further, they would be able to govern more fairly, with a better understanding of the people’s needs and wants and a knowledge of how best to keep the peace with our own nation as well as with others. The most permeating experience of LSD “trips” is of love, pure, unadulterated, all-encompassing love, and the understanding that this is the underlying force of the universe. It is as if LSD takes your head and unhinges it, opening it right up and allowing all the knowledge of the universe, all the light, all the love, all the experience that our consciousness blocks in our perception of reality, it is all suddenly allowed entry into our brains, and it is with this knowledge and experience that we are better able to live our lives in constant harmony with the universe and with others. The government could learn a thing or two from the universe.
Now, with this in mind, I hope you and your superiors can reconsider the umbrella ban of these eye-opening wonder drugs known as psychedelics. I am not asking for a complete lifting, making everyone free to experiment or abuse such drugs. I am simply asking for a bit more leniency, the legalization of government-funded and highly controlled studies or the controlled experimentation with groups of professionals in a therapeutic environment. I understand that drugs, even those as beneficial and harmless as psychedelics, can be abused, which is why I understand why the ban was imposed. I am simply imploring you to revisit the possibility of more leniency in the law.
Timothy Leary
Corinne's Profile
December 1969
Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20857
and Department of Justice of the United States
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Mr. Commissioner and Mr. Secretary,
My name is Timothy Leary and I strongly urge you to redact your illegalization of, or at the very least lighten your restrictions on, the psychedelic drug lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD. This drug is not the addictive narcotic you make it out to be. It is not only beneficial but almost essential in the study and treatment of certain psychological diseases such as schizophrenia and depression. As a doctor of psychology, I am extremely learned in the chemistry of the brain and the affects certain substances, such as LSD and other hallucinogens (like psilocybin in mushrooms and mescaline in peyote), have on it. As a lecturer on psychology at Harvard, I became very interested on these affects, then virtually unknown. I travelled to Mexico, where I experienced my first “trip.” That is, I had my mind opened and my life changed. Upon my return to Harvard, I established the Harvard Psychedelic Project to study the effects of these curious substances in a more scientific way. In the project, I administered psilocybin to prison inmates as an experimental method of rehabilitation to see its affect on recidivism rates. I saw the rate of return to prison drop from 80% to 20% due to the education and revelation the subjects reported to have experienced while on the drug. These numbers would be even better if we could continue this psychedelic therapy post-release. With more in depth study of this and other psychedelics could lead to more benefits for the American people, such as better treatments or even possibly cures for alcoholism, drug addiction, depression and schizophrenia, as well as for national
security in the form of interrogational aids, such as mind control and truth serum.
Not only are psychedelics beneficial to society by curing illnesses and treating psychosis, they also affect the brain in such a way that changes one’s perception of reality. LSD alters the consciousness of the user, opening his or her mind so dramatically that the user is often changed for life. Of the 300 subjects to whom I administered LSD in my various studies, 75% said that was a revelatory experience, teaching them more about themselves and their universe than any other experience in their lives. It makes connections in the brain that didn’t exist previously, connecting one to the world around them and everyone in it. It opens the user up to experiences all the universe has to offer, all of the light and love and peace. If more people were to experience this total openness, this pure understanding of love, the world would be a better place, with fewer wars, less fighting, less misunderstanding. If the officials of the government were to open their mind and allow LSD to open it further, they would be able to govern more fairly, with a better understanding of the people’s needs and wants and a knowledge of how best to keep the peace with our own nation as well as with others. The most permeating experience of LSD “trips” is of love, pure, unadulterated, all-encompassing love, and the understanding that this is the underlying force of the universe. It is as if LSD takes your head and unhinges it, opening it right up and allowing all the knowledge of the universe, all the light, all the love, all the experience that our consciousness blocks in our perception of reality, it is all suddenly allowed entry into our brains, and it is with this knowledge and experience that we are better able to live our lives in constant harmony with the universe and with others. The government could learn a thing or two from the universe.
Now, with this in mind, I hope you and your superiors can reconsider the umbrella ban of these eye-opening wonder drugs known as psychedelics. I am not asking for a complete lifting, making everyone free to experiment or abuse such drugs. I am simply asking for a bit more leniency, the legalization of government-funded and highly controlled studies or the controlled experimentation with groups of professionals in a therapeutic environment. I understand that drugs, even those as beneficial and harmless as psychedelics, can be abused, which is why I understand why the ban was imposed. I am simply imploring you to revisit the possibility of more leniency in the law.
Thank you for your time and your attention
Sincerely,
Timothy Leary, PhD